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First of all, let me set the context on how important & busy as a person I’ve become in the recent past. So much so that I have to go on ‘short international business trips’ Ohh Emm Gee! #EpicLoserLevelUnlocked 😛

Yeahh so my brand got launched in Nepal market and I was asked to plan a 2 day trip to Kathmandu (khi khi khi dil mein laddoo phoota) And to plan it on a Thursday/ Friday (ek aur laddoo phoota!) Ofcourse I stayed over on Saturday and then booked myself back on Sunday so that my old person’s body/ mind / soul can get enough sleep and then can be dragged to office on Monday morning.

So that left me just a day to ‘kar le Kathmandu mutthhi mein’. Luckily enough one of my pragmatic yet well travelled friend had visited Kathmandu earlier and knew the exact 4-5 locations to see and Google baba came to the rescue for my last minute planning.

Here starts my one day guide to Kathmandu!

Thamel – First and last stop

Thamel is the place with night life in terms of pubs, restaurants, shops, tourists etc. in Kathmandu. That one particular area found in every city where travellers reside and make the hub. Unlike rest of Kathmandu which shuts down at 8pm, Thamel stays up and awake till wee hours for a lot of things which should be left unsaid.

Checked into a beautiful, awe-inspiring tiny little place in Thamel – Ambassador Garden Home ❤ Their rooms are small bt still don’t feel claustrophobic because of the warmth of the place emerging from all the wood work or even the amiable staff 🙂

Must try out their Nepali Masala Tea. Had atleast 5 cups in a day whenever and for whatever time I was there!

Ambassador Garden Home is THE cozy and cute lil place to stay at if you choose Thamel area. Just look at this garden restaurant.

2. Pahupatinath Temple

After keeping luggage in the room I took a local taxi and went straight to Pashupatinath Temple for the World Heritage Site claim.

It is one of the few structures which didn’t get affected much by the last earthquake in Nepal but hordes of people (or as they call themselves pilgrims) have ruined the place enough. It would have been a beautiful structure to admire if there weren’t 1000s of people trying to push their way through cutting queues or being impatient to get a one look at the ‘God’. In fact there was a price list board put up by the temple administration for various rites & rituals you would want to perform. 0_o

The same temple premise has rituals being carried for newly weds or new borns and the back side of the temple as lifeless bodies being cremated which in itself is thought provoking.

Felt like a black sheep at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. People ruin places.

Gladly, didn’t spend more than 35-40 mins here that too because of the queues but go to this place when there is no festival around (which will be hard to plan of course) to admire the place

3. Bhaktapur!

This was my favourite place in Kathmandu! So much so that next time I will even stay here 😀 This one of the oldest districts and rightly so you can see that in it’s brick-lanes and old temple & Durbar Square structure or architecture =D

Durbar Square are areas found all over Nepal which were meeting or shopping or key areas for the Royal Family of Nepal. Lucky to have chosen Durbar Sqaure, Bhaktapur (credit to our Nepal team for suggestion 🙂 ) as against other Durbar Squares in Nepal.

This area being 100s of years old got affected the most by the earthquakes but the spirit & beauty is still alive. Food is still kickass! People are still friendly story-telling enthusiasts & ohh new age rock bands playing in the hidden pubs inside these old brick architectural amazement!

Would have loved to see it before the earthquake, loved visiting it now, will visit it after the restoration 🙂 Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal

5 stone temple at Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal – One wise owl told me that this was the biggest temple created to cut down on the powers of a super powerful God with an existing temple right across this one, who got out of control. Pehelwan at the bottom of the side statues is powerful but elephants on top of them are 10 times more powerful and then comes the tiger with 10 times more strength than the elephants but then the Garuda and the Goddess herself – most powerful evvvaaahhh!

This was taken from the top of the 5 stone temple 😀 Now that’s the place for a cup of coffee or Nepali masala chai – Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal with the sleeping Buddha hills in the background.

And then my love affair with food started ❤ sparks flew and their was this unapologetic incessant touch downs at nooks & corners of Bhaktapur for Nepali food! (May Freud help me)

That’s what the final served Bara-Wo dish looks like. Frankly, I had my reservations before tasting this savoury atta pancake but glad that I did & then overate a bit 😛 Ek baar jo humne commitment kar di toh hum khud ki bhi ni sunnte.

Another tinnnyy outlet at Bhaktapur, Nepal with just two tables to accommodate not more than 10 people sitting cramped up. All this that uncle makes is used as chakhna/ starters with beer or the local wine Chhang (which is yummy ki mummy!) Chakhna knows no boundaries for me now! Uncooked flattened rice, sauteed soya beans, uncooked meat (stop judging me for a second, it is chopped finely and then minced with hand so much so that the heat from all this friction makes it slightly warm & soft), buffalo fry and what not! Newari cuisine rocks!

I shappath didn’t have more than one small teenie little piece of this dish 😛 Again a Newari dish at Bhaktapur- bone marrow fat filled in goat intestines tied with a thread and then fried a little *my heart* but that intestine was crispy crunchy yummy! Fat was a tad too much for sure

4. Swayambhu Stupa

I did go there but wasn’t too kicked about it since I’ve had the pleasure of the view from the top of the stupa just outside Leh city in Ladakh. So go there for the Kathmandu city view in the evening and loads of harmless monkeys/ ancestors roaming around you peacefully and then let’s come back to Thamel for a night stroll in the quaint lanes 🙂

Have you dinner at Khatali restaurant on Durbar Marg, Kathamandu which is centrally located (not far off from Thamel) and fall in love with the ‘Mustang’ kaali daal or the mutton curry or even the simple yet powerful saag 🙂 psstt, get 1 kg of this kaali daal back as souvenir 😀

First meal of momos at Kathmandu with this view from the office terrace overlooking the king’s palace 😳 mekko rakh lo yahan!

A few helpful points to search and a keep note of before travelling alone to a new place:

Download offline maps in case you are not planning to buy a local SIM (I support you on this one since wi-fi can be found at almost all hotels & why else would you need a phone while travelling?! You! Yes you constantly on your phone) – Try maps.me app, has been helpful across various countries

Google the local taxi rates for places like Nepal where there is no other prevalent mode of transport. And then negotiate like an Asian! Be a man, DO THE RIGHT THING!

Always look at visitor images on tripadvisor or any other travel booking site for hotels and don’t just rely on the 4 star ratings/ reviews. Your gut feel about the homeliness of the place will always be stronger than well crafted review words.

Don’t be afraid of taking a stroll on your own. If you show confidence, you get confidence and then it just happens.

Lastly, It’s never too bad or boring to spend some time on your own at your own pace 🙂

One more Rajasthani curry / sabzi made in ganwaar style 😬 and kadak jeera parantha.

Perils of an active brain which needs to be sedated with the process of cooking food 🙄

If you also suffer from the combination of two of the worst characteristics possible – brain which can’t stop working and a stomach which can’t stop growling, get into that kitchen RIGHT NOW! *with one bottle wine is highly recommended, all senses shall be happy* #SabMohMayaHai

Seeing that crushed garlic though the next best set of senses satiated too #DayummGirl

Recipe, When rubber hits the road! When you set your priorities right! When you pour the third glass of wine! *Don’t play with fire and keep the extinguisher handy*

By the way, the recipe is so simple & short that I will try to use the fastest finger first mode #ThatsWhatSheSaid 🙄 Now I know why people don’t talk to me 😛 Kidding! I am looouved

Pour mustard oil in a non-stick pan, add onion paste and let it go brown. Because once you go black you never come back 😬 See see what I did there, it’s incurable I think

Crush those lovely garlic buds a little *show some love* and add in. Let them get that slightly brunette kind of a color to get the sexy mode on

Add in ginger-garlic paste, rest of the spices and let it cook for a couple of minutes. With a heavy heart I will have to say, sorry but this one is just a quicky, don’t appreciate it much but that’s how it has to be done sometimes.

Add in 3.5 cups of water and let it simmer for some time, add in those besan ke sev, heat for 3-4minutes. Shut the fire, cover the pan and do bottom’s up of that last glass of wine coz you are ready to rock and roll! *drum roll*

And that’s how we roll! Remember, sometimes it’s the step of taking a decision that seems to be the toughest, going through the decision is not usually. 🙂

Now go and share this with other #Awesomesauce people because recipes keval like ya comment karne se nahi failti hain 🙈

On one of those bouts of excess energy, I tried my hand at cooking mutton on a weekend and that too Laal Maas – a Rajasthani specialty. Pride was at stake since I belong to Rajasthan *gulp* Bhagwan! Ye sochne se pehle mujhe sula kyo nahi diya!

But turns out that dayummm I can cook and how!

So here it goes, the recipe / process / directions to cooking Laal Maas , the easy lazy simple but awesome way B-)

Ingredients:

Mutton medium size chunks – Quantity, I had imagined 750gms will be enough for 4 people but forgot that I have monsters for friends. So just 3 finished it whole

Onion paste – made of 4 big ones. My hands are not that big so you pliss to decide the bigness of these onions

Ginger Garlic paste – 3 tablespoons *oooh I said tablespoon I am a chef and all* . I am lazy so bought (read ordered online from big basket ) the packeted one

Teekha Laal Mirch – 2 tablespoons , laziness strikes again. You can soak 5-6 dry red chillies for some time and then grind it to get the same stuff too or chuck it man, they have ’em coming in packets

Cloves , Bay Leaves, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Black Cardamom, Star Anise, Mace blades (took me 5 whole minutes to search this name online! you will know when you see the image) – 3 to 4 pieces of each . Love these spices to the core!

Ghee – 3 teaspoons , this would be more or less equal to 1 tablespoon but teaspoon sounds tinier than tablespoon and hence thinking about heart-attacks or diet control becomes easier

Turmeric powder – 2 teaspoons

Coriander powder – 3 teaspoons. These are the boring ingredients but like the boring things in life you must do to live a normal life, bear with them.

Salt – Swadanusar 😀 Have been waiting to say this for so long 😀 Means as per your own taste, like go figure -> Go now -> Be a man! Do the right thing! Ok staaahp

Recipe, Time to hit the road, take the plunge, make a commitment 😐 Allah khair kare, Yalla Yalla Yalla Kooch!

Clean the mutton chunks with slightly warm water, helps get rid of the blood *Psycho music playing in the background* Or you going psycho for Adam Levine in Animals ❤

C’mmon baby light that fire and place that base on it , I meant put the pressure cooker on flames. You derrrty derrrty being .. but all this has to happen with loads and loads of patience & passion on low flame… It’s a slow yet highly satisfactory process.

Add in the onion paste and cook it till it turns transparent, add in those kinky garlic buds (it is one of the best food to boost your sex life , aphrodisiac 😉 Don’t go overboard with it now!)then cook some more till it becomes slightly blonde, then cook some more till it shows you its golden glory

Mix the ginger-garlic paste (Garlic again *wink* *wink*) with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt separately with just a little amount of water to keep the mix in a paste form

Add this paste to the golden onion paste in the pressure cooker and cook! Cook like your life depends on it! Add in 1 tablespoon of water when you feel that it is about to get cooked. Cooked here means that it doesn’t stick to the pan and the oil gets separated from the cooked paste. But torture it atleast 3-4 times, every time it tells you that I am done, splash 1 tablespoon of water in its face and cook again! *Think psycho*

Ok now take a deep breath, calm the hell down and add in the mutton pieces to this beautiful smelling mix (it can get orgasmic at times so make sure there are no people around you while you sniff the aroma). Mix it well so that the mutton pieces get covered with the masala mix. Yup time to take a deep breath again because it looks mmmmmmmmmmmm… Dammit! Stahpp you mind!

Place the lid just on top of the pressure cooker and don’t lock it or cover it completely. Give it some space *That’s what she said*

Mutton will start releasing some water of its own 😛 khi khi khi

Mix it after every 8 or so minutes so that it doesn’t stick to the base. Ok now I don’t even need to say it, your mind is already there. Can we cook now pliss?

After 15mins of this process add in water according to the amount of curry you would want and lock the pressure cooker lid on medium flame. Continue sipping on that wine… Ohh did I forget about that part? Best cooking happens while drinking a bit … on the side.. can add 1 dhakkan of old monk in it too, gets the mutton to soften a bit… just like any other girl

Wait for around 4-5 whistles (First few whistles don’t matter much, I know you are trying be the bond but 4-5, seriously ?! you are going to get it buddy! I will turn around beat the shit out of you! ) phew.. coming back to it, let it rest in the steam for around 20mins or so.

Open the lid after 20 mins and take a big sniff of the fooking awesome aroma. Try to break/ eat and see if the mutton is cooked or not. If not then you can make do with one more whistle.

Voila! You are set to be satisfied!

Enjoy! Share yours, mine, our happiness with everyone and have some wine on the side 🙂

Imagine those days when you just don’t want to put your mind to work. No way do you wish to think about what to eat. You need, want, deserve food but of course without taking too much of stress. This state is called – seeking comfort through food. It’s a topic for another day that this state comes wayyyy too often in my life. Anyhow! There are just 2 comfort food options for me on any given day – 1. Biryani 2. Pan-Asian cuisine

Oooh I am @the__giggler ! I am so hoity toity! Calling it pan-asian cuisine and all ‘eh. There was a time when I used to call it plain simple Chinese food. Anything remotely pan-asian was Chinese for me. Yup! Me. Here. I. yes yes, Faaine! judge the stereotypical me. But now I know and I want you to know too.

Here are my top 5 PAN-ASIAN restaurant picks in Bangalore, trusted blindly. There is a surprise hidden gem at the end. My +1 for you B-)

Since the time this place came to Indiranagar, I have taken almost everyone along with me here and shamelessly ordered the same food over and over again! And whatte ambience this place has, so Bangalore ❤

Open terrace with subtle light, low music, enough space, #AwesomeSauce food and friendly bartenders. You might not even want to move away from the bar stools.

Friday lunches made better. One of those rare places where Veg dishes and desserts compete with pork for my appetite…

Need to stop eating out with these vegetarian friends of mine… They are polluting my palette with good veg food that too paneer based yes I liked this Pandan leaf wrapped spiced cottage cheese starter @singkong_restaurant so much that we ordered for one more (don’t disown me pliss)

Ohh you dear round dumplings… If only I could taste you in every form and stuffing… One day! 😎

Non veg dumplings basket 😁 a little bit of this and a little bit of that made me a bit more fat 🤘🏼 Fish, chicken and shrimp dumplings basket

Curry laksa with chicken and prawns … this creamy coconut milk based soup with boiled eggs, prawns, noodles and shredded chicken is so good that you would want to start and end your meal with it…

You there! Yes you tiny piece of lemon cream! Come back and don’t ruin my look! Look at me when I am talking to you! Damn now everyone will want to taste you first 😦 😛 said no cake ever… Tres leches , home made style soaked cake is so light and creamy yummy with that perfectly sweet liquid to soak it in that I lost my mind for a while there 😀

This place got launched in Bangalore and suddenly everyone around me was talking about it left- right and centre! Like why?! Why haven’t I eaten at that place? Why didn’t you guys call me?! You don’t like me! Faaine! Go!

After all this and much more cribbing to my friends, they took me there 😀 and we gave out our appreciation to this place in resounding burps 😛

Did you know Nasi means Rice and Mee stands for noodles in Malay?

Dumpling! Momo! You sound as cute and soft as you taste 😁 especially when you have that light thin covering… Even veg dumplings seem to be good. One more favourite Pan Asian restaurant is here 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻 @nasiandmee

Ordering this stir fried fish in honey chilli mustard sauce turned out to be the best decision by us hungry bunch! Ohh the mustard 😍 along with the staple pad Thai noodles @nasiandmee Nasi And Mee, Koramangala, Bangalore

This place is talk of the pan Asian cuisine town right now and sure as hell it deserves the word! Massaman curry (Thai Muslim style curry with potato and chicken in a mildly spicy coconut sauce) , Thai red curry (veg) and sambal fried rice (Southeast Asian )…

Hungry and craving for some warm Asian food after watching a spine chilling movie like Everest we struck gold at this awesome sauce Korean place – Hae Kum Gang. Just above Plan B, this quaint little place is tucked away from the crowds.

The owners are such heart melting humble fellows who opened their kitchen seeing our hungry puppy faces. I can so get used to this!

Just the 5 side dishes are so cool along with the slightly spicy veg and non veg Chulpan and sticky rice. And of course the largest pan on the table of Mushroom Jeongoi ( glass noodles, amazing mushrooms and other veggies in a non spicy broth). Kid you not, they didn’t stop there. Watermelon pieces dipped in just about right sweet and tangy syrup to make us feel fresh after this royal feast.

Chicken momos, chicken Shaptra and tingmo (steamed bun) with that red hot chilli sauce at this small joint on #BrigadeRoad reminded me of the good old DU days and that short sweet trip to Ladakh where my dear friend’s late father had cooked the same tingmo for us on a cold winter night 🙂

I am unsure about a lot of things or atleast I don’t want to say a lot of things out loud to my own self. Sometimes it comes across as a commitment phobia too, no no I am not talking about the classic definition of relationships. I am talking about things like being scared of planning a holiday 1 month in advance or committing to meeting someone in a week’s time or even buying stuff for my house so that it starts feeling like my house. But one thing which I have been quite sure of for the longest time I can remember is that – I Love Bombay!

I keep on traveling to Bombay around once or twice in a month and it has started to appear like a clandestine affair with my beloved. The separation was getting unbearable and of course I needed a break to do things on my own or not do anything but still on my own. So this year when the time came to plan my 10 days holiday, one thing which I was quite sure of…

Ofcourse I walked and watched this city breathe for 10 days 🙂

Chor Bazaar, Off Mohammed Ali Road – The Island of Misfit Toys

This crowded little place made of 4-5 lanes of jam-paacked curio stores had me gaping for 3 hours and I couldn’t get enough of it!

You get everything here. Read EVERYTHING! From somebody’s 32 teeth neatly lined up in a showcase to a pendant made out of a baby deer’s foot, a family portrait dated back to 1960s to a classic piano stacked up in a dusty corner. That’s the beauty of this island of misfit toys.

Fork You! Chor Bazaar became my disneyland and with this I began my exploration of Mumbai 😀

Silence. Lights. Camera. Action. Found all this and more at Chor Bazaar.

In a shop filled with a trillion random things, found a plane touching a miniature of the Twin Towers and an astronaut clicking its picture :O talk about creepy coincidences! P.S. The owner had no idea about it either

Island of misfits – When random imperfections come together to create a world of wonder and enchantment

Har cheez bikti hai yahan, bas koi khareedne wala hona chahiye…

Yeah yeah… how could I be hungry all this while? This matar kind of thing gave me salty company 🙂 Still don’t know what is it called but guess I prefer this over peanuts anytime.

All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…Play my music, let’s rock the boat. Main shayar toh nahi but Chor Bazaar did this to me!!!

This marked as the end of our walk and gladly so! Afghan Naan – That whiff of freshly baked bread in the old crowded lanes of chop bazaar mesmerised me over and I dream-walked to this shop to find a piece of gold. Afghan Naan baked to perfection.. And bang opposite this shop we found spicy mutton nihari curry to have our first meal of the day. Love is unpredictable! ❤

Afghan Church, Sassoon Dock

At the edge of the city is Sassoon Dock. Just after the hustle bustle of South Bombay you witness peace.

This is not your usual sun-kissed misty winter morning at a hill station. This my friend, is Mumbai at 4pm 🙂 Afghan Church backyard, Navy Nagar at the far end tip of Mumbai was a hauntingly serene spectacle.

Church of the Holy Name/ Holy Name Cathedral, South Bombay

I was lucky to be visiting during christmas time…

Holy story depicted on the colourful glass ceiling of the Holy Name Cathedral, South Bombay. There is much more to Bombay than just late nights on the glittering buzzy roads.

How I wished to be awed by this place. How I wished to learn more from this place. But all I saw was beauty with no explanation just sign boards telling me that these are properties of so and so and kept here just for display 😦

How will people know about the importance of the immaculate Indian architecture or its history when there is no effort to pass on the baton through simple tales?

Pains me to see such a beautiful thing at the Prince of Wales museum kept in a corner without an explanation or a story or audio guide reference. Divine light of Buddha at the centre of a mandap and its flower ceiling half seen in the mirror.

None of my trips are complete without eating at places which I have never tried before and here is an ode to the amazing variety of food in Mumbai *drrroool*

Japanese or Korean food hasn’t disappointed me till now and so it continues… Kofuku, Bandra, Mumbai had a menu that got us shamelessly greedy! Would need to go there once more to try out rest of the goodies. Japanese sautéed ginger pork, sticky rice, kofuku prawns curry, Korean style kimchi pork fried rice, shrimps dumplings and burrrpppp on the table 😀

Mumbai weather had become purrfect for an outside brunch and dayum was I lucky to be there at the right time B-) Pan seared basa with garlic risotto at Cafe Infinito, BKC. You can never go wrong with grilled or pan seared fish.

Pour as much as you want and dip in as much as you want – Cheese! 145 Lounge, Kala Ghoda on New Year’s eve 🙂

Ohh now that I am talking about New Year’s eve, that marks the end of my trip too…

Lights in a lane at Eddie’s Bistro, Bandra… This was one of the best new year night out to places with least amount of crowd, no loud music, no fighting our way to the bar for that one last drink, getting places to sit in comfort, chat and laugh and such beautiful ambience…

Dear Mumbai

I am in Love…

Yours Truly

P.S. I am not done with Bombay yet so if you know about other such hidden gems of the city, please do let me know. Gracias!

“If you think adventure is dangerous,

try routine, it is lethal” – Paulo Coelho

This is a short story of a simple personal adventure…

Every year atleast twice I get this itch to go on a vacation and I start prodding my friend to help me plot our next expedition. And Jan’15 was no different. I kept harassing her to close down on one place and plan everything, yes I am that lazy and yet proudly pestering.

Then one fine day she called and said she has a conference coming up in Reims, France and I can come along too but it will be just for 3 days. Hmmm… France + trip + just 3 days didn’t seem to add up well, so next came the suggestion “Why don’t you travel alone and go see Paris and nearby villages/ towns on your own for 6 days before reaching Reims?” My reply – “aaaa whaaa?!” ” OF COURSE I won’t travel alone! What if I got bored with myself?”

Yes, Yes even though I know that I am pretty awesome but still that came out of my mouth, may be I was afraid of going to Paris alone because you’ve heard all these mugging stories or because this was something I had never done before, out of my comfort zone like WAY OUT OF MY LEAGUE o_O. A lot of people said that it will be foolish to go all the way to France and visit just a few small towns here and there. But if my life had background tracks, then this would have been playing then ” hai apna dil to aware, na jane kis pe aayega” and so it began – 10 days 1 big city & 3 small towns/ villages in France 🙂

Whatever thought went behind my decision but yes I borrowed a Lonely Planet, downloaded offline maps for Paris, Reims, Amboise & Strabourg , Paris subway app with routes/ train durations/ schedule, found a friend’s friend staying at Paris, booked my first hostel experience, got all my required belongings under 12kgs packed in a backpack, put on my first pair of colourful gum boots and off i went Woot Woot!

So here is your small little pictorial tour to a small part of France – Paris, the city of love 🙂 On the way you might also realise the level of happiness you can get while traveling solo :

DAY 1 of figuring out life in Paris

Landed. Checked in at my hostel – St. Christopher’s Inn, Gare Du Nord. Bang on the subway/ train station of Gare Du Nord. Dumped my luggage under my bunk bed and started walking with Emilien, the friend recently introduced by my other friend.

The first morning walk and sunshine 🙂 which took a lot of internal cajoling …

A freak road cabaret/ play right opposite that beautiful bridge. All I needed to get comfortable in a new place freezing at 6 degrees with a cup of coffee in my hands , which I had stopped feeling by now !

The first bite of salted caramel crepes at Arc de Triomphe Paris and I have not been able to recover from that mind blowing taste till now!

You might not enjoy the touristy vibe around the place but the sheer liveliness of these sculptures draw you in – at Arc De Triomphe

While I was trying to fit that pillar and me in a selfie, Emilien who was helping me get acquainted with the streets and subways, was trying to tell me quaint little stories about these places.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a 1.9 kilometres long and 70 metres wide street full of tempting sinful luxury brands. So even I went on a budget shopping and dragged poor Emilien along for buying warm leggings 😛 By god it is difficult to survive in Paris in the month of Feb without one of these! Yeah yeah, I am that Indian who went to one of the most expensive shopping streets of the fashion capital of the world and bought stuff on sale! Took a pic too, SUE ME!

Next stop – Mosquée De Paris – The tea room inside the mosque is filled with humdrum of the flowing crowd, people chit-chatting, uncountable rounds of mint tea, sweet pastries in blue tiled rooms and big golden tray tables

Till now, I had gotten acquainted with the dos & don’ts of subway, buses & street walking in Paris. And so my tired half-dead body was dragged to the place of Resurrection – La Rhumerie. aka The Rum House

Yes! I like Paris at night way more than in the daylight 😀 specially when I am at a place called the ‘Rum House’.

And that is how Day 1 ended for me 🙂

Day 2 of everything colourful & vibrant on streets

This was by far the best day of my trip – Flea Market, street art, Salvador Dali and Jim Morrison – all in one!

By now I had realised that subway will become a part of my life in Paris, so every morning started with plotting stations nearest to my planned spots of the day but if the places are close to 3-5 kms apart then of course WALK, because there is no other way to know a place better than talking with people while walking on the streets and eating the local food 🙂

You turn my world (Duniya) upside down ! a small light projection of ‘DUNIYA’ written in Hindi on the ceiling of some random subway station in Paris. I was falling in love already 🙂

From antique furniture to Cartier watches to beautiful paintings to old comic books to dresses from the bygone era on quite an expressive bunch of mannequins to beautiful brooches and an alien spaceship bang in the middle of this world of flea market.

All the time I was at Marché aux Puces and when I was walking towards my next stop – Montmartre, the artists’ village , this big grin won’t leave my face 😀 Guess others noticed it, may be that’s why I received friendly hellos & smiles on the way 🙂 I was getting comfortable…

Somewhere on the way, naak mein dum! Told ya – Walking is fun!

3 kms from the Paris Flea Market is Montmartre, a village on the hill where Salvador Dali and many other artists used to stay and it still has that corner with street artists painting live portraits and showcasing their splendid work.

An artist and his self portraits on the streets of Montmatre. Or is it a painting in itself?! So many colors , so much of life , so much to do , so little time …

Don’t forget to grab your lunch on the way and drift towards museum of Dali’s subliminal work …

The thing I loved about museums in France is that every piece has a story and they won’t shy away from telling you that story with the same passion over and over again through texts, through voice, through sound or just visually.

At the Espace Dali museum – Galipette – a work of light cinematography in an unending mirror inspired by the turbulent relationship between Dali and Gala. It represents the positive energy and strength created by the loving bond. The lovers reflect one another to infinity. (Part of the Description as mentioned at the gallery)

And after dreaming about owning a beautiful tiny house with a balcony covered by viny creeper plants and a small little red coloured cafe down the street stairs (sigh…) I walked back towards the subway station to get to my next stop – Père Lachaise Cemetery and meet my beloved James Douglas Morrison aka Jim Morrison.

Like a blue eyed man standing at the Center of the city, looking over everything and nothing … Even this grey winter afternoon made me happy 🙂 – while walking from Montmartre

From Clignancourt take the subway to Pigalle station and you arrive at the largest Paris cemetery – Père Lachaise Cemetery

And I met him…

The best way to explore this place is by knowing which all out of the hundreds of tombstones/ graves would you want to visit and start putting them on the pre-downloaded offline city map.

My hostel’s common bar area at night, with live band and the solo travellers’ table where I got invited to sit, chat and drink 😉

Day 3 of Shakespeare & Love Cruise

Started off on the day’s first subway journey to St. Michel station to visit Notre Dame but after disembarking from the train so quick was my decision to go towards Shakespeare & Company bookstore that I felt dizzy with joy (floating in the clouds, visualising ‘Before Sunset‘ ♥♥)

That warm overwhelming feeling you get while visiting a place you have been wishing to … for long … Stuff that dreams, stories, fairy tales are made of … Shakespeare and company bookstore. Past meets present to make future…

With my content filled heart I did visit Notre Dame but it didn’t give me the same exhilarating feeling as did this bookstore 🙂

So I walked a few kms in search of the next best thing to books – FOOD! Suggested by a friend of mine who spent quite a few years in Paris, I headed towards Berthillon, supposedly the best ice cream/ sorbet in the world at Ile Saint-Louis island.

If it deserves to be eaten then I shall eat it! Even if it means having an ice cream on a day recording 3degrees temperature. Berthillon at St. Louis island . My bad luck, the original shop was closed but this one said they ‘sell the Berthillon produce’ . Ohh yea and salted caramel is officially my favourite flavour 😀 It was quite a treat to just take a stroll around the island itself…

Love lock bridges made me feel love lost… These symbolic bridges are being treated as vandalism by the Paris municipal authorities and the ritual might come to an end very soon.

During the river cruise in Siene, the guide said “we will be passing under the bridge of love now. Make a wish and kiss… And blah…” They have a bridge of love too?!! how much love is there in this city?

And so this day came to an end too.

This day I gave more time to chit-chatting with other solo travellers back at the hostel while gorging on to a huge plate of FOOD called the ressurection 😀 fried eggs on top of roasted roll with bacon (bliss), sausages, mushrooms, baked beans and hash potatoes … Of course some rum and coke to end the long day … Somehow my appetite improved a lot on this trip

Last day in Paris : Day 4 of Louvre stories

Subway to Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre, a pre-bought pass and a sneak away non-crowded entry to Louvre B-) Thanks to Emilien again for showing me the cheat path to avoid standing in line for 2 hrs atleast!

It is said that you need around 3 days to walk through and see Louvre Museum, so don’t forget to again mark what all you want to see there and listen to each and every story behind that piece of art. Get involved, get to know it, live those moments.

Greek goddess ,Nike (winged Victory) – This sculpture took my breath away for it’s sheer grandeur and was a bit intimidating at the same time…

Psyche revived by Cupid’s kiss – Venus, the goddess of beauty was jealous of Psyche and asked her son Cupid to enamour Psyche and then leave her. Later Psyche was made to go through a lot of ordeals to be reunited with Cupid and during one such, she was asked by Venus to get a jar from the underworld but not to open it. But Psyche, out of curiosity, opened the jar and fell into a deathly sleep. To be woken up by Cupid by the touch of his arrow and a kiss.

A beautiful nymph in pain who was stung by a scorpion and knew that her end was near.

The Death of Sardanapalus – Murder of concubines ordered by the king when he got to know of his military defeat, while he lies in the midst of death.

The Raft of Medusa – Hope & fraught panic of shipwrecked sailors who can see a rescue boat in the distance but can’t catch it.

So ended my trip to Paris, and I took the train to Amboise then Reims and last but the most beautiful little town of more than 5 Michelin Starred Restaurants, Strasbourg.

Hope to give you that nudge to just pack your bags and walk 🙂

What you should know?

Not everyone gets mugged in Paris

People are friendlier than expected here 🙂

Always have a hearty breakfast before starting your day

Keep an offline map of all the planned cities pre-downloaded with you

Stay at some place near a subway station

Always carry enough change for subway tickets

Stand on the right if you are not planning to walk on the escalators

Buy comfortable, light and warm gum boots for all those long walks

Get to know the stories behind everything you see to live the moment

Don’t waste your time visiting the touristy places only, get to know the city even if takes a day or two more

WALK & WALK & WALK & EAT!

P.S. Thanks a tonn Bhooshan, Niyanta & Emilien for everything 🙂

All the pictures were taken by me so don’t use them without giving credit. Pliss 😛

I am going to enjoy each and every dish/ restaurant/ cafe that I mention in this particular blog post for the simplest of reasons that I love Bombay and I love Brunches! Dil ki awaaz (ankh mein aansun, khushi ke…)

Even though I am not from Bombay but have been travelling to this vivacious city so often that I treat it like my own now. Gives me an added advantage of going to only the awesomest food places B-)

Of course I’ve been quite shamelessly vocal about my undying love for brunches. If you like to walk in to a restaurant still slightly sleepy with your shades on, sit in open air with just the right amount of sunlight and pastel shades all around you, sipping a fizzy drink or sangria and have a peaceful chat with your friends then you will understand.

I am lazy, like to sleep till late, love Sundays and I LOVE FOOD, hence proved, brunches are my favourite meal of the day!

L.H.S. = R.H.S. (Ghissu I tell you!)

Let’s start it off then, so that by the end of this you have enough and more choices to select from. No need to waste your precious Sunday energy in searching for good places, go invest that time in sleeping some more :

SmokeHouse Deli, Bandra

Taking it easy the right way 😉 I like the happy sunshine vibe of this place. Eggs florentine with hash browns and baked tomato and finishing it off with the ohh so light, ohh so fluffy – Lemon flavoured Panna Cotta.

2. Pali Village Cafe, Bandra

Simple joys of life. Sitting at the corner table on the first floor where you can see everyone but not everyone can see you 🙂 with sunny side up and a cup of coffee while it rains outside. I love this place not the energetic kind of love but the calming and comfortable one.

Sunny Side up with spinach and roasted potatoes at Pali Village Cafe, Bandra

Solo Coffee at Pali Village Cafe, Bandra

3. Sassy Spoon, Bandra

Think Sassy Spoon, think brunch date! And at the end of the day walk out with a pack of fresh poye – Goan Paav.

Goan Chorizo Paav at Sassy Spoon, Bandra

4. The Pantry, Colaba

If it’s not runny then it’s not good eggs florentine. That golden yolk, that garlic bread with Pondicherry cheese and that mushroom bechamel sauce. Brunch ne macha di!

Ohh bwoy this mango cheesecake!

One more new place for Cheesecake and the obsession continues… And that too with mango on the top! *joy just came* no no not you Joy… Tch tch tch .

Eggs Florentine with Pondicherry cheese and mushroom bechamel sauce at The Pantry, Colaba

What comes to your mind when I say red and white checkered table cloth, smell of freshly baked paav, a cat and a sweet old man sitting at the cash counter? A Parsi food joint 😀

Parsis are a blessing to the Mumbai food community and if you ever want to put this statement to test then try this one day tour of Parsi food. Anytime of the day. Take it and go!

I will tell you about a few things to avoid at these places as well because, let’s just say that nobody is perfect 🙂 But yes, it is always the whole experience that counts.

Breakfast at Kayani Bakery, Fort

Irani Chai at Kayani Bakery

Breakfast at Kayani Bakery has been long on the list but like the other much talked about heritage places, this too has just a couple of Must Try items. Start the day with the unadventurous yet awesome Bun Maska and Irani chai. Suggest pick up a few freshly made paav to save the next day as well.

Bun Maska and Chai at Kayani Bakery

Word of Advice – Don’t try the keema paav if you are used to certain level of good masala. Akhuri was average too.

2. Lunch at Britannia & Company Restaurant, Fort

Everything about the Britannia & Company Restaurant 🙂

There is no love greater than the love of eating.True That. My first time at Britannia restaurant, I was impressed by Parsi uncles telling their stories and the humble set up of the place. Try their Sali Boti, Chicken Berry Rice and Caramel custard. My vote goes to the custard!

3. Early dinner/ Heavy evening snack at Mahalaxmi Race Course

Mutton Dhansak in daal base is really good at this small stall just outside the RWITC office at Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Even though mutton keema or shaami kebab or bheja fry is not Parsi but while you are there, try it!

Sorry, no pics L but will update soon 😀 (slurp, one more reason to eat there again)

Last time we took a food walk in Koramangala (Bangalore) and this time Mosque Road (Frazer Town) baby! I am becoming a fan of these food trails with each passing day. Thank goodness for those greedy, always hungry, cannibal friends that I have 😀

So let’s roll with this one because you guys still have sometime to catch up on us and not miss out on all the meat you could ever imagine on just 1km stretch of a road (Must. Stop. Salivating. Again!)

Charminar Kabab Paradise

Man Vs Food! First stop of the Ramzan Feast at mosque road was at Charminar for some good old deep fried, minced meat stuffed, egg coated Mughlai Parantha. But looking at the well laid table, we couldn’t stop ourselves from hogging on to some Pepper Chicken, Kalmi Kabab and the unexpectedly good Kadi Gosh (the big piece in the pic on top right).

I don’t give a damn about the picture angle or quality on this one! Watering mouth had to be satiated then and there. High point of the walk was this plate of juicy lamb chops with slightly crispy skin.

Lamb Chops at Rahamm’s

Didn’t expect this one but it happened

So we tried some Camel meat kababs as well. Not too proud of it now that I have read a few things but yeah it happened.

Chichaba’s Taj Restaurant

Could have not finished it without some Mutton Biryani and what better way to have it than with Nalli Nihari. Sit back, relax and have it at peace 🙂 or in pieces..

Mutton Biryani & Nalli Nihari at Chichaba’s Taj

Our trip was cut short because of rains but you better not end it without kulfi and then suleimani chai at Taj Tea house. Our sweet paan was good too.

Take a note of these lucky 7 pointers before you start your batmobile engines and tune in the GPS to Mosque Road

1. Reach the place before 7pm to avoid the mad rush.

2. There is some neat lane space for comfortable parking just before Rahamm’s (on your left)

3. Patthar gosh can be made best out of beef only as mutton & chicken have much smaller bones for good stone cooking and cutting. So if anyone is offering you chicken or mutton pathhar gosh, think twice, you might just be getting Chicken 65 heated up on a big stone slab

4. Have a look at the counter behind the cooking slab/ table to judge the hygiene of the place

5. Rahamm’s a bit away from the main food stalls so do not miss out on the lamb chops by avoiding it

6. Check the weather for the day. We had to cut it slightly short for the rain.

7. Lastly but most importantly, take a group of foodie friends with you because you wouldn’t want to finish off the whole plate and feel full on the first stall itself! It will make me really sad 😥

Thank you once again Auni, KungFu, Tom & Compliance. Wouldn’t have been possible for me to try out each and everything without your insatiable greed and gluttony. B-)

Masaaledaar lazzatdaar tawa pulao / tadka pulao Bombay style made me realize that there is so much more to explore in Indian cuisine – At Rs. 50/- only

The famous mirchi bhajji of Bangalore with coriander chutney so fresh that you can’t help yourself but ask for atleast 3 servings of just that chutney – At Rs.10/- wonly :O

Mirchi Bhajji with coriander chutney @ Koramangala Bangalore

By this time my hands were full of food and mind had gone numb with so much of happiness that I couldn’t focus on taking pictures. So go ahead, start off with 2 plates of paani puri and don’t miss out on the Bombay sandwich stall with options ranging from toasted and non-toasted versions of chocolate sandwich, pure old bombay sandwich, chinese sandwich and many more.

Polishing off everything with one of my favorite ice-cream flavours, the duet orange and cream stick.

Here’s an open challenge to you all… Eat food worth Rs.1000/- on your own from these stalls and I will take you out the next time B-)

P.S. Terms are conditions applied.

First one being that you shouldn’t be a psychopath. You see, I don’t like to compete on that front.